Thousands of autopsy reports are incomplete and some have been sitting undone for years. Team 5 Investigates' Kathy Curran revealed how the problem is causing unnecessary hardship and heartache for the families left behind.

Sara Rogers husband, Dan, died suddenly while working his postal route on June 10, 2013. He was sixty-one years old, the father of two young children.

His family waited month after month for answers from the state medical examiner’s office wondering how Dan Rogers died.

It took Dr. Marie Cannon six months to determine the official cause of death even though there was no autopsy, only toxicology tests.

According to documents obtained by Team 5 Investigates, Cannon received those toxicology reports within three weeks of Dan Rogers' death but it still took her six months to release the official cause.

Sara Rogers told Team 5, "Not know what happened to your loved one is torture. They're not thinking of these families that are waiting in agony, waiting to know what happened to their loved ones. It's inexcusable and oversight is the first step."

The holdup also left Sara Rogers struggling financially because without that official cause of death and death certificate she couldn't collect the life insurance she and Dan had to take care of their family.

Sara Rogers said she couldn’t pay her mortgage and had to rely on donations from friends and family to survive because of the medical examiner's office.

Team 5 Investigates found thousands of incomplete autopsy reports, some dating back to 2011, that weren't done as of March. That's not even close to the standard set by the National Association of Medical Examiners of completing 90 percent of autopsy reports in 90 days.

"We have over 5,000 cases a year and we have 10 staff medical examiners to cover those cases. If you do the arithmetic you can see the numbers are staggering," said Curt Wood, Undersecretary of Forensic Science and Technology for the state overseeing the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, adding the numbers are unacceptable and the office is going to fix the problem.

Jill Garfield's 33 year-old-son, Tyler, died after a seizure on the night before Thanksgiving in 2012. Dr. Kimberley Springer performed the autopsy and a cause of death was determined thirteen months later. But Garfield's family still hasn't received the full autopsy report despite numerous calls and letters to the medical examiner's office.

"It’s hard, real hard. We still get the same runaround," said Jill Garfield.

In January, the family received the same letter from two different people at the medical examiner's office saying it would take on average another 12 weeks to get the report.

"I’m angry, I'm frustrated, all of those and to think my tax dollars pay for this, it's not right," she said.

Several steps have been taken to try to reduce the backlog and help the families including a family liaison to help with insurance issues and other problems. In 2007, two outside reviews of the office recommended it be staffed with 17 doctors. Right now, it's staffed with only 10.

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AIR BALLOON." THEY ARE STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT EXACTLY HOW THE BALLOON HIT A POWER LINE AND BURST INTO FLAMES. DIGGING INTO THE NUMBERS AND DISCOVERING A MASSIVE BACKLOG AT THE STATE MEDICAL EXAMINER'S OFFICE. THOUSANDS OF AUTOPSY REPORTS INCOMPLETE AND SITTING UNDONE FOR YEARS. HOW THE PROBLEM IS CAUSING HEART ATTACK FOR FAMILIES INVOLVED. NOT KNOWING WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR LOVED ONE IS TORTURE. SARAH RODGERS' HUSBAND, DAN, DIED SUDDENLY WHILE WORKING HIS POSTAL ROUTE ON JUNE 10, 2013. HE WAS THE FATHER OF TWO YOUNG CHILDREN. HIS FAMILY WAITED MONTH AFTER MONTH FOR ANSWERS FROM THE STATE MEDICAL EXAMINER'S OFFICE, WONDERING HOW DAN DIED. IT TOOK DR. MARIE CANNON SIX MONTHS TO DETERMINE THE OFFICIAL CAUSE OF DEATH, EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS NO FULL AUTOPSY, ONLY TOXICOLOGY TESTS. ACCORDING TO DOCUMENTS OBTAINED BY TEAM 5 INVESTIGATES, THE MEDICAL EXAMINER'S OFFICE RECEIVED TOXICOLOGY REPORTS THREE WEEKS AFTER DAN DIED BUT IT STILL TOOK DR. CANNON SIX MONTHS TO RELEASE THE OFFICIAL CAUSE OF DEATH. THEY'RE NOT THINKING OF THESE FAMILIES THAT ARE WAITING IN AGONY, WAITING TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THEIR LOVED ONES. IT'S INEXCUSABLE. THE HOLDUP ALSO LEFT SARAH STRUGGLING FINANCIALLY BECAUSE WITHOUT THE DEATH CERTIFICATE, SHE COULDN'T COLLECT LIFE INSURANCE TO TAKE CARE OF HER FAMILY. I COULDN'T PAY FOR THE MORTGAGE. I HAD TO RELY ON DONATIONS FROM FRIENDS AND FAMILY. TO YOU IT'S MUCH MORE THAN A PIECE OF PAPER. YES, TO ME IT MEANT MOVING ON. TEAM 5 ASKED THE STATE FOR THREE YEARS' WORTH OF RECORDS INCLUDING THE NUMBERS OF INCOMPLETE AUTOPSY REPORTS. THOUSANDS OF CASES, SOME DATING BACK TO 2011, WERE STILL NOT DONE IN MARCH OF 2014, NOT EVEN CLOSE TO THE NATIONAL STANDARD OF COMPLETING MOST REPORTS IN 90 DAYS. HOW DID IT GET TO THIS POINT? WE HAVE FOR AN INTAKE OVER 5,000 CASES A YEAR. WE HAVE 10 STAFF MEDICAL EXAMINERS TO COVER THOSE CASES SO IF YOU DO THE ARITHMETIC, THE NUMBERS ARE STAGGERING. KURT WOOD OVERSEES THE MEDICAL EXAMINER'S OFFICE AND BLAMES THE BACKLOG ON UNDERSTAFFING, POOR CASE MANAGEMENT AND DELAY IN GETTING RECORDS FROM OTHER AGENCIES. ARE THE NUMBERS ACCEPTABLE? ABSOLUTELY NOT. THEY UNDERSTAND IT, WE UNDERSTAND IT AND WE'RE GOING TO FIX IT. JILL GARFIELD'S 33-YEAR-OLD SON, TYLER, DIED AFTER A SEIZURE ON THE NIGHT BEFORE THANKSGIVING 2012. IT TOOK 13 MONTHS TO DETERMINE A CAUSE OF DEATH AND THE FAMILY STILL HASN'T RECEIVED THE AUTOPSY REPORT. HERE WE ARE A YEAR AND A HALF LATER. YOU STILL DON'T HAVE THE FULL AUTOPSY REPORT. NO, I DO NOT. NO. STILL THE SAME RUNAROUND. IN JANUARY, THE FAMILY RECEIVED THE EXACT SAME LETTER FROM TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE AT THE M.E.'S OFFICE WITH NEWS THEY DIDN'T WANT TO HEAR. MORE DELAYS. AND I'M ANGRY AND I'M FRUSTRATED, ALL OF THOSE, AND TO THINK THAT MY TAX DOLLARS PAY FOR THIS, IT'S NOT RIGHT. AND SEVERAL STEPS HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO TRY TO REDUCE THE BACKLOG AND HELP THE FAMILIES, INCLUDING ADDING A FAMILY LIAISON TO HELP WITH INSURANCE ISSUES AND OTHER PROBLEMS. TWO REVIEWS OF THE OFFICE SEVEN YEARS AGO RECOMMENDED STAFFING LEVELS OF 17 DOCTORS. RIGHT NOW, THE OFFICE IS FAR

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